Battery system with heat exchange device

ABSTRACT

A battery pack is provided including: a plurality of battery cells arranged in multiple battery cell rows; one or more heat exchange spaces; and a device for providing heat exchange to the battery pack. Further, the device includes a heat conduction medium passage arranged in the heat exchange spaces, such that the heat conduction medium passage surrounds multiple battery cells in each battery cell row. The heat conduction medium passage is provided with at least a first group of channels and a second group of channels, which are in contact with the surface of each battery cell, and a heat conduction medium is provided in the first group of channels and the second group of channels. The heat conduction medium flows in the first group of channels in a direction opposite from the flow of the heat conduction medium in the second group of channels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/821,789, filed Aug. 10, 2015, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/150,848, filed onApr. 22, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/133,991,filed on Mar. 16, 2015, the entire disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a battery packand a battery system, and more particularly, to a heat exchange deviceof the battery pack.

An electric vehicle uses a battery pack as an energy source. In order toensure that the electric vehicle operates properly, the battery pack inthe electric vehicle must be maintained within a certain range oftemperature, i.e., the working temperature. Operating within the workingtemperature ensures that the battery pack performs efficiently and has along service life. Due to the large influence of temperature on theperformance and the service life of the battery pack, the workingtemperature of the battery pack and the consistency of the workingstates of the battery cells within the battery pack are very importantin the design of the electric vehicle and the battery pack. As such, aneed exists for a battery system with improved temperature regulation.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may address at leastsome of the above-noted problems. For example, according to firstaspects of the disclosure, systems for providing more effective heatexchange for a battery pack, e.g. a battery pack in an electric vehicle,are provided.

According to further aspects of the disclosure, a battery pack isprovided including a plurality of battery cells, wherein the pluralityof battery cells are arranged in multiple battery cell rows, and eachbattery cell row includes multiple battery cells. In some examples, oneor more heat exchange spaces may be included, wherein each heat exchangespace is arranged between adjacent battery cell rows or at one side ofeach battery cell row.

Embodiments may also include a device for providing heat exchange to thebattery pack, wherein the device comprises a heat conduction mediumpassage arranged in the heat exchange spaces. In some examples, the heatconduction medium passage surrounds multiple battery cells in eachbattery cell row, and the heat conduction medium passage may be providedwith at least a first group of channels and a second group of channelsextending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axialdirection of each battery cell and arranged up and down along the axialdirection of each battery cell.

In embodiments, the first group of channels and the second group ofchannels may be in contact with the surface of each battery cell, andthe first group of channels and the second group of channels may beprovided with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, respectively.A heat conduction medium may be provided in the first group of channelsand the second group of channels, with the heat conduction medium in thefirst group of channels flowing from the inlets to the outlets of thechannels thereof, and the heat conduction medium in the second group ofchannels flowing from the inlets to the outlets of the channels thereof.A heat insulation layer may also be arranged between the first group ofchannels and the second group of channels.

According to further aspects of the disclosure, a battery system isprovided including a battery pack with a plurality of battery cells,wherein the plurality of battery cells are arranged in multiple batterycell rows, and each battery cell row comprises multiple battery cells.In embodiments, one or more heat exchange spaces may be provided, witheach heat exchange space arranged between adjacent battery cell rows orat one side of each battery cell row. Embodiments may also include adevice for providing heat exchange to the battery pack, the deviceincluding a heat conduction medium passage arranged in the heatexchanging spaces. In embodiments, the heat conduction medium passagemay surround the multiple battery cells in each battery cell row. Theheat conduction medium passage may be provided with at least a firstgroup of channels and a second group of channels extending in adirection substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of eachbattery cell and arranged up and down along the axial direction of eachbattery cell.

In embodiments, the first group of channels and the second group ofchannels may be in contact with the surface of each battery cell. Thefirst group of channels and the second group of channels may be providedwith at least one inlet and at least one outlet, respectively, and aheat conduction medium may be provided in the first group of channelsand the second group of channels, with the heat conduction medium in thefirst group of channels flowing from the inlets to the outlets of thechannels thereof, and the heat conduction medium in the second group ofchannels flowing from the inlets to the outlets of the channels thereof.

In embodiments, a heat insulation layer may be arranged between thefirst group of channels and the second group of channels. The heatinsulation layer may include, for example, a thermal insulating materialmade of glass fiber, asbestos, rock wool, and/or aerogel felt. In someexamples, the heat insulation layer may include an air-filled spacebetween the first group of channels and the second group of channels.

In embodiments, the battery system may include one or more of a sensorfor detecting the temperature of the battery pack, a controller fordetermining and sending a control signal according to the temperaturevalue detected by the sensor, a heat conduction medium source forproviding the heat conduction medium to the heat conduction mediumpassage, a pump for controlling the flow rate of the heat conductionmedium according to the control signal sent by the controller, and/or aheat treatment device for heating or cooling the heat conduction mediumentering into the heat conduction medium passage. Embodiments mayinclude another passage, wherein the heat conduction medium source, thepump, the heat treatment device and the heat conduction medium passageare in fluid communication by means of the other passage.

According to yet further aspects of the present disclosure, an electricvehicle is provided, such that the electric vehicle includes a batterysystem as described herein.

Compared with the existing battery pack in the related art, advantagesof various exemplary embodiments described herein may includeeffectively maintaining the temperature of the battery pack within acertain range of working temperature and guaranteeing the consistency ofthe temperatures of the battery cells. The above-noted advantages may beachieved, at least in part, by designing the heat exchange device in thebattery pack to include at least two groups of heat conduction mediumchannels and a heat insulation layer between the two groups of channels.Further, the heat conduction medium may flow through the two groups ofchannels in opposite directions. Thus, various embodiments of thedisclosure may improve the operating efficiency of the battery pack andeffectively increase the service life of the battery pack.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may beset forth or apparent from consideration of the following detaileddescription, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood thatboth the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and intended to provide further explanationwithout limiting the scope of the invention claimed. The detaileddescription and the specific examples, however, indicate only preferredembodiments of the invention. Various changes and modifications withinthe spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the detailed description serve to explain the principlesof the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of theinvention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamentalunderstanding of the invention and various ways in which it may bepracticed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A is a perspective schematic view of a battery pack, according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a top structural schematic view of the battery pack,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line A-A in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view of a heat conduction mediumpassage, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a port connecting structure of the heatconduction medium passage, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a structural block diagram of a battery system, according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various example embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedbelow with reference to the drawings constituting a part of thedescription. It should be understood that, although terms representingdirections are used in the present disclosure, such as “front”, “rear”,“upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, and the like, for describing variousexemplary structural parts and elements of the present disclosure, theseterms are used herein only for the purpose of convenience of explanationand are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in thedrawings. Since the embodiments disclosed by the present disclosure canbe arranged according to different directions, these terms representingdirections are merely used for illustration and should not be regardedas limiting. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference marks usedin the present disclosure refer to the same components.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical terms used herein have the samemeanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art towhich the invention pertains. The embodiments of the invention and thevarious features and advantageous details thereof are explained morefully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples thatare described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings anddetailed in the following description. It should be noted that thefeatures illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale,and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments asthe skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly statedherein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniquesmay be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of theinvention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate anunderstanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and tofurther enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments ofthe invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which isdefined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, itis noted that like reference numerals reference similar parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 2, a battery pack 101 is providedwith a plurality of battery cells 1011 arranged within a shell. Theplurality of battery cells 1011 are arranged in one or more rows, i.e.,battery cell rows, and each battery cell row includes one or morebattery cells 1011. In an example embodiment, the battery cell rowsinclude the same number of battery cells, and the battery cell rows arearranged to be approximately parallel with one another. Such anarrangement of the battery cells 1011 in the battery pack 101facilitates the addition of a heat exchange device into the battery pack101 and benefits the heat exchange consistency of the battery cells.

In an example embodiment, a heat exchange space 102 is arranged betweentwo adjacent battery cell rows in order to reserve enough space betweenthe two adjacent battery cell rows for placing the heat exchange device.In addition, the heat exchange space 102 may be provided at one side ofa battery cell row, for example, at one side of the outermost batterycell row.

An example of providing the heat exchange spaces is illustrated below indetail with reference to FIG. 1B. FIG. 1B illustrates an example of abattery pack with four battery cell rows, which are respectively a firstbattery cell row, a second battery cell row, a third battery cell row,and a fourth battery cell row from top to bottom in sequence. The heatexchange spaces 102 are respectively reserved on the outer side (namely,the side nearest to the shell) of the first battery cell row, betweenthe second and the third battery cell rows, and on the outer side(namely, the side nearest to the shell) of the fourth battery cell row.While FIG. 1B shows an example of four battery cell rows, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. As such, more or less than fourbattery cell rows may be provided in the battery pack 101.

In addition, in yet another example embodiment, all heat exchange spacesmay be provided between the adjacent battery cell rows, as shown in FIG.5. Notably, in FIG. 5, two battery cell rows are arranged between eachpair of adjacent heat exchange spaces 102. This arrangement ensures thatheat exchange may be carried out to each battery cell row while savingspace so that the external volume of the battery pack is reduced. Ofcourse, one or more than two battery cell rows may be arranged betweeneach two adjacent heat exchange spaces 102. That is, the presentdisclosure is not limited to the arrangement of two battery cell rowsbetween each pair of adjacent heat exchange spaces 102.

Referring to FIG. 1B, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, a heat conductionmedium passage 103 may be arranged in the heat exchange spaces 102.Further, a heat conduction medium may flow in the heat conduction mediumpassage 103, thereby cooling or heating the battery via heat exchangebetween the heat conduction medium and the battery cell. For example,the heat conduction medium passage 103 may be made from materials withrelatively high heat conductivity, such as a metal, and the heatconduction medium may be cooling water obtained by mixing water withethylene glycol. However, the present disclosure is not limited to theabove-noted examples. As such, the heat conduction medium passage 103may be made from materials other than metal, and the heat conductionmedium may be a mixture other than the mixture of water and ethyleneglycol.

The heat conduction medium passage 103 extends in a serpentine mannerthrough the battery pack 101, as shown in FIG. 1B. For example, the heatconduction medium passage 103 extends around the battery cell rows andsurrounds multiple battery cells 1011 in the battery cell rows. Eachbattery cell 1011 is placed in a substantially vertical manner relativeto the heat conduction medium passage 103. Referring to FIG. 2, as anexample, the heat conduction medium passage 103 is formed with twogroups of channels, namely, a first group of channels 201 and a secondgroup of channels 202. The first group of channels 201 and the secondgroup of channels 202 are arranged up and down along the axial directionof each battery cell 1011 and extend in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to the axial direction of each battery cell 1011. Thefirst group of channels 201 and the second group of channels 202 are incontact with the surface of each battery cell 1011 to carry out theexchanging of heat.

Since the first group of channels 201 and the second group of channels202 are arranged along the axial direction of each battery cell 1011, asshown in FIG. 2, a particular battery cell 1011 makes contact with thefirst group of channels 201 and the second group of channels 202 at thesame time. As such, the heat conduction medium in the two groups ofchannels may exchange heat with the same battery cell 1011.Additionally, arranging the two groups of channels in this manner is anefficient use of the space within the battery pack.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the heat conduction mediumpassage 103. For convenience of illustration, only the parts close to aninlet and an outlet of the heat conduction medium passage 103 areillustrated in FIG. 3, while the middle portion that extends in aserpentine manner is omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the first group ofchannels 201 and the second group of channels 202 respectively includetwo channels arranged up and down along the axial direction of batterycells. For example, the first group of channels 201, which is arrangednear the top of battery cell 1011, may include two channels. Further,the second group of channels 202, which is arranged near the bottom ofthe battery cell 1011, may also include two channels. Of course, theexample in FIG. 3 is not intended to limit the number of the channels ineach group of channels. Each group of channels may also respectivelyinclude one channel or more than two channels. In this exampleembodiment, providing two channels in each group of channels increasesthe area of the passage wall made from a heat conduction material, whileensuring the utilization of the heat exchange spaces, so as to improvethe heat conduction speed.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a heat insulation layer 203 is providedbetween the first group of channels 201 and the second group of channels202. By providing the heat insulation layer 203, the heat exchangebetween the heat conduction medium in the first group of channels 201and the second group of channels 202 may be effectively insulated, so asto avoid decreasing the heat exchange efficiency between the heatconduction medium passage 103 and the battery cells 1011.

The heat insulation layer 203 may be a thermal insulating material withhigh heat insulation, such as glass fiber, asbestos, rock wool, aerogelfelt, etc., however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.Further, the material of the heat insulation layer may be directlyadhered to the material of the two groups of channels.

Alternatively, in another example embodiment, the first group ofchannels 201 and the second group of channels 202 are spaced apart, andthe air in the space between the first group of channels 201 and thesecond group of channels 202 serves as the heat insulation layer 203. Inthis example embodiment, the first group of channels 201 and the secondgroup of channels 202 may be attached to a bracket in order to be spacedapart from each other, so that a space can be reserved for the air heatinsulation layer 203.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the first group of channels 201 includes twochannels 2011 and 2012, and each channel is respectively provided withan inlet 2011 i/2012 i and an outlet 2011 o/2012 o. Similarly, thesecond group of channels 202 includes two channels 2021 and 2022, andeach channel is respectively provided with an inlet 2021 i/2022 i and anoutlet 2021 o/2022 o. The heat conduction medium flows into the firstgroup of channels 201 from the inlets 2011 i, 2012 i of the two channelsof the first group of channels 201 and flows out of the first group ofchannels 201 from the outlets 2011 o, 2012 o of the two channels.Similarly, the heat conduction medium flows into the second group ofchannels 202 from the inlets 2021 i, 2022 i of the two channels of thesecond group of channels 202 and flows out of the second group ofchannels 202 from the outlets 2021 o, 2022 o of the two channels. Theinlets and outlets of the respective channels of the first group ofchannels 201 and the second group of channels 202 are arranged in such amanner that the flow direction of the heat conduction medium in thefirst group of channels 201 is opposite to the flow direction of theheat conduction medium in the second group of channels 202. For example,the channel inlets of the first group of channels 201 and the channeloutlets of the second group of channels 202 are located at one end ofthe heat conduction medium passage 103, and the channel outlets of thefirst group of channels 201 and the channel inlets of the second groupof channels 202 are located at the other end of the heat conductionmedium passage 103.

Since the flow directions of the heat conduction medium in the firstgroup of channels 201 and the second group of channels 202 are opposite,the heat exchanging capacity of the heat conduction medium in the firstgroup of channels 201 compensates for the heat exchanging capacity ofthe second group of channels 202 for a given battery cell 1011. As such,the respective heat exchange amounts of the first group of channels 201and the second group of channels 202 in the heat conduction mediumpassage 103 are substantially the same for all battery cells in thebattery pack.

As a description of the heat exchanging capacity of the first group ofchannels 201 and the second group of channels 202 for a given batterycell 1011, take for an example, a battery cell 1011 located near thechannel inlets of the first group of channels 201 and near the channeloutlets of the second group of channels 202. Here, the heat conductionmedium in the first group of channels 201 enters the channels and thenflows into the channels. Thus, the heat exchange capacity of the heatconduction medium in the first group of channels 201 at this point isrelatively high. However, at this same location, the heat conductionmedium in the second group of channels 202 has already exchanged heatwith all battery cells it passed by while flowing to the channel outletsfrom the channel inlets. Thus, the heat exchange capacity of the heatconduction medium in the second group of channels 202 at this point isrelatively low.

Additionally, for a battery cell 1011 located near the channel outletsof the first group of channels 201 and near the channel inlets of thesecond group of channels 202, the heat conduction medium in the secondgroup of channels 202 enters the channels and then flows into thechannels. Thus, the heat exchange capacity of the heat conduction mediumin the second group of channels 202 at this point is relatively high.Further, at this location, the heat conduction medium in the first groupof channels 201 has already exchanged heat with all battery cells itpassed by while flowing to the channel outlets from the channel inlets.Thus, the heat exchange capacity of the heat conduction medium in thefirst group of channels 201 at this point is relatively low.

Accordingly, the heat exchange capacities of the heat conduction mediumin the two groups of channels are mutually combined or compensated. Inother words, the sum of the heat exchange capacity of the heatconduction medium in the two groups of channels for one particularbattery cell is substantially the same as the sum of the heat exchangecapacity of the heat conduction medium in the two groups of channels forany other battery cell. Thus, when the heating value of the battery packis large, this balanced heat exchange capacity for each battery cell isparticularly important.

In other example embodiments, the heat conduction medium passage 103 mayalso be provided with additional channel groups besides the first groupof channels 201 and the second group of channels 202. Further, in otherexample embodiments, the balance of heat exchange for the battery packis achieved using an even number of additional channel groups, however,the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the flowdirections of the heat conduction medium in each pair of groups areopposite. For example, if the heat conduction medium passage 103 hasfour channel groups, the flow direction of the heat conduction medium intwo groups of channels would be opposite to the flow direction of theheat conduction medium in the other two groups of channels.

As mentioned above, since the flow directions of the heat conductionmedium in the first group of channels 201 and the second group ofchannels 202 are opposite, the temperature difference of the heatconduction medium in the two groups of channels at a particular positionof the heat conduction medium passage 103 may be large. Additionally,since the channels themselves have high heat conductivity, if the twogroups of channels make contact with each other, heat exchange willoccur between those two groups of channels. However, by providing theheat insulation layer between the two groups of channels, heat exchangebetween the heat conduction medium in the first group of channels 201and the second group of channels 202 may be effectively insulated,thereby ensuring consistent heat exchange of the heat conduction mediumfor the respective battery cells of the battery pack 101.

In addition, the cross-section of each channel in any of theabove-mentioned groups of channels may be of a square shape as shown inFIG. 4, however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As such,the cross-section of each channel may also be of other shapes, such as acircle.

Referring to FIG. 4, a port connecting structure of the heat conductionmedium passage 103 is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 4, the heatconduction medium is introduced into and guided out of the ends of theheat conduction medium passage 103 via port connecting devices 301 and302. Using port connecting device 301 as an example, one end of the portconnecting device 301 communicates with the channel inlet/outlet of theheat conduction medium passage 103, and the other end communicates withan external equipment, for example, a heat conduction medium source. Thesame structure applies to port connecting device 302. Further, each ofthe port connecting devices 301 and 302 is provided with two ports, andeach port is in fluid communication with a group of channels, includingone or more channels. For example, the port connecting device 301 isprovided with a first input port 3011 and a second output port 3012. Thefirst input port 3011 is in fluid communication with the two channelinlets 2011 i, 2012 i of the first group of channels 201, and the secondoutput port 3012 is in fluid communication with the two channel outlets2021 o, 2022 o of the second group of channels 202. In addition, theport connecting device 302 is provided with a second input port 3022 anda first output port 3021. The second input port 3022 is in fluidcommunication with the two channel inlets 2021 i, 2022 i of the secondgroup of channels 202, and the first output port 3021 is in fluidcommunication with the two channel outlets 2011 o, 2012 o of the firstgroup of channels 201. By employing the port connecting devices 301 and302, the heat conduction medium passage 103 may be easily connected withan external equipment, for example, a heat conduction medium source,regardless of the number of channels arranged in each group of channels.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a structural block diagram of a battery system,according to example embodiments of the present disclosure isillustrated. The battery system illustrated in FIG. 5 may include thebattery pack as shown in FIG. 1-FIG. 4. To facilitate illustration ofthe flow directions of the heat conduction medium in the two groups ofchannels, in the example embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, the two groupsof channels are arranged side by side. However, this is to merelyindicate that two groups of channels are provided in the heat exchangespaces and not intended to limit the specific arrangement manner of thetwo groups of channels. The two groups of channels are respectivelyarranged at an upper portion and a lower portion of each battery cell1011, along the axial direction of each battery cell as described above.

Referring to FIG. 5, the battery system includes the battery pack 101 asshown in FIG. 1-FIG. 4, and the heat conduction medium passage of thebattery pack 101 includes the first group of channels 201 and the secondgroup of channels 202. For the sake of brevity, the specific structureof the battery pack 101, which was described above, is omitted here.

Besides the battery pack 101, the battery system further includes a heatconduction medium source 505, a heat treatment device 504 and/or aheater, a pump 503, and a passage 506. The passage 506 is used forconnecting the heat conduction medium passage 103 in the battery pack101, the heat conduction medium source 505, the heat treatment device504, and the pump 503 into a circuit.

The battery system is further provided with a sensor 501 and acontroller 502. For example, the sensor 501 is arranged in the batterypack 101 for detecting the temperature of the battery pack 101 andsending a detection result to the controller 502. The controller 502 isin communication connection with the sensor 501 for determining andsending a control signal according to the temperature value detected bythe sensor 501. The controller 502 is further in communicationconnection with the pump 503 and the heat treatment device 504 to sendthe control signal to the pump 503 and the heat treatment device 504.

The heat conduction medium source 505 is used for providingsupplementary heat conduction medium to the battery system. The pump 503may determine the flow rate of the heat conduction medium in the batterysystem according to the control signal sent by the controller 502. Theheat treatment device 504 is used for heating or cooling the heatconduction medium flowing into or flowing out of the battery pack. Theconnecting sequence of the above components is not limited to the mannershown in FIG. 5, as long as the fluid communication of the heatconduction medium in the components can be achieved.

The working manner of the above-described battery system is discussedbelow by taking an example in which the battery pack is cooled.

For example, when cooling the battery pack, the sensor 501 detects thetemperature of the battery pack 101 and sends the temperatureinformation to the controller 502. The controller 502 judges whether thetemperature is within the normal working temperature range of thebattery pack. If the temperature exceeds the normal working temperaturerange, the controller sends the control signal to the pump 503 and/orthe heat treatment device 504. After receiving the control signal, thepump 503 accelerates the flow rate of the heat conduction medium in theheat exchange system of the battery pack. The heat conduction mediumflows into the battery pack 101 from the heat conduction medium source505 and flows out of the battery pack 101 after cooling the batterypack. Before the heat conduction medium flows back into the heatconduction medium source 505, the heat treatment device 504 carries outheat treatment on the heat conduction medium which absorbed the heat ofthe battery pack 101 to restore its initial temperature. After theinitial temperature of the heat conduction medium is restored, the heatconduction medium flows back into the heat conduction medium source 505.

As shown in FIG. 5, the heat conduction medium flows into the batterypack 101 from an inlet connector 507. The inlet connector 507 splits theheat conduction medium to enable the heat conduction medium torespectively flow into the first group of channels 201 and the secondgroup of channels 202. Further, the heat conduction medium in the firstgroup of channels 201 and the second group of channels 202 is gatheredby an outlet connector 508 and flows back into the heat conductionmedium source 505 after being treated by the heat treatment device 504.

In other example embodiments, the heat treatment device 504 may not beconnected with the controller.

The present disclosure further provides an electric vehicle using theabove-mentioned battery system.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to thespecific embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood thatthe lightweight fastening methods provided by the present disclosure canhave a variety of variations without departing from the spirit, scopeand background of the present disclosure. The description given above ismerely illustrative and is not meant to be an exhaustive list of allpossible embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.Those of ordinary skill in the art should be still aware that,parameters in the embodiments disclosed by the present disclosure can bechanged in different manners, and these changes shall fall within thespirit and scope of the present disclosure and the claims. Thus, variousmodifications and variations of the described methods and systems of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery pack, comprising: a plurality ofbattery cells, wherein the plurality of battery cells are arranged inmultiple battery cell rows, and each battery cell row comprises multiplebattery cells; one or more heat exchange spaces, wherein each heatexchange space is arranged between adjacent battery cell rows or at oneside of each battery cell row; and a heat conduction medium passage isprovided with at least a first group of channels and a second group ofchannels, wherein both the first group of channels and the second groupof channels extend in a direction perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to a first axis running through two opposite ends of eachbattery cell and are arranged in parallel to a second axis runningthrough all of the battery cells in the cell row, wherein the first axisand the second axis are orthogonal, the first group of channels and thesecond group of channels are in contact with a surface of each batterycell, the first group of channels is provided with at least one inletand at least one outlet in a first direction such that heat conductionmedium flows through the first group of channels in the first directionwherein the heat conduction medium flows, from a heat conduction mediumsource, directly into the first group channels at the at least one inletof the first group of channel, the second group of channels is providedwith at least one inlet and at least one outlet in a second directionsuch that heat conduction medium flows through the second group ofchannels in the second direction, wherein the first direction isopposite of the second direction and wherein the heat conduction mediumflows, from the conduction medium source, directly into the second groupof channels at the at least one inlet of the second group of channels atthe same time or substantially the same time as the heat conductionmedium flows, and the heat conduction medium flows from the heatconduction medium source directly into the first group of channels atthe at least one inlet of the first group of channels, wherein thesecond group of channels and first group of channels are distinct andseparate from each other such that the second group of channels andfirst group of channels are not connected through a turnaround sectionwithin a housing containing the plurality of battery cells.
 2. Thebattery pack of claim 1, further comprising a heat insulation layercomprising a thermal insulating material made of at least one of glassfiber, asbestos, rock wool, and aerogel felt.
 3. The battery pack ofclaim 1, wherein the first group of channels and the second group ofchannels are is spaced apart, and air in the space between the firstgroup of channels and the second group of channels forms the heatinsulation layer.
 4. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the batterypack is provided with one or more heat exchange spaces through which theheat conduction medium passage is arranged in a zig-zag shape tosurround every other two battery cell rows.
 5. The battery pack of claim1, wherein at least one channel is arranged in the first group ofchannels, each channel of the first group of channels having a firstinlet and a first outlet; and at least one channel is arranged in thesecond group of channels, and each channel of the second group ofchannels having a second inlet and a second outlet.
 6. The battery packof claim 5, wherein the first inlet of each of the first group ofchannels is connected with a first input port, the first outlet of eachof the first group of channels is connected with a first output port,the second inlet of each of the second group of channels is connectedwith a second input port, and the second outlet of each of the secondgroup of channels is connected with a second output port.
 7. A batterysystem, comprising: a battery pack, wherein the battery pack includes: aplurality of battery cells, wherein the plurality of battery cells arearranged in multiple battery cell rows, and each battery cell rowcomprises multiple battery cells, a heat conduction medium passageprovided with at least a first group of channels and a second group ofchannels, wherein both the first group of channels and the second groupof channels extend in a direction perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to a first axis running through two opposite ends of eachbattery cell and are arranged in parallel to a second axis runningthrough all of the battery cells in the cell row, wherein the first axisand the second axis are orthogonal, the first group of channels and thesecond group of channels are in contact with a surface of each batterycell, the first group of channels is provided with at least one inletand at least one outlet in a first direction such that heat conductionmedium flows through the first group of channels in the first directionwherein the heat conduction medium flows, from a heat conduction mediumsource, directly into the first group channels at the at least one inletof the first group of channel, and the second group of channels isprovided with at least one inlet and at least one outlet in a seconddirection such that heat conduction medium flows through the secondgroup of channels in the second direction, wherein the first directionis opposite of the second direction and wherein the heat conductionmedium flows, from the conduction medium source, directly into thesecond group of channels at the at least one inlet of the second groupof channels at the same time or substantially the same time as the heatconduction medium flows, and the heat conduction medium flows from theheat conduction medium source directly into the first group of channelsat the at least one inlet of the first group of channels, wherein thesecond group of channels and first group of channels are distinct andseparate from each other such that the second group of channels andfirst group of channels are not connected through a turnaround sectionwithin a housing containing the plurality of battery cells; and a sensorto detect a temperature of the battery pack; a controller configured todetermine and send a control signal according to a temperature valuedetected by the sensor; a pump configured to control the flow rate ofthe heat conduction medium according to the control signal sent by thecontroller; and a passage, wherein the heat conduction medium source,the pump, and the heat conduction medium passage are in fluidcommunication via the passage.
 8. The battery system of claim 7, furthercomprising heat insulation layer comprising a thermal insulatingmaterial made from at least one of glass fiber, asbestos, rock wool, andaerogel felt.
 9. The battery system of claim 7, wherein the first groupof channels and the second group of channels are spaced apart, and airin the space between the first group of channels and the second group ofchannels forms the heat insulation layer.
 10. The battery system ofclaim 7, wherein a flow direction of the heat conduction medium in thefirst group of channels is opposite to a flow direction of the heatconduction medium in the second group of channels.
 11. An electricvehicle, comprising: an electric motor; a battery pack configured topower the electric motor, the battery pack including: a plurality ofbattery cells, wherein the plurality of battery cells are arranged inmultiple battery cell rows, and each battery cell row comprises multiplebattery cells, a heat conduction medium passage provided with at least afirst group of channels and a second group of channels wherein both thefirst group of channels and the second group of channels extend in adirection perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a first axisrunning through two opposite ends of each battery cell and are arrangedin parallel to a second axis running through all of the battery cells inthe cell row, wherein the first axis and the second axis are orthogonal,the first group of channels and the second group of channels are incontact with a surface of each battery cell, the first group of channelsis provided with at least one inlet and at least one outlet in a firstdirection such that heat conduction medium flows through the first groupof channels in the first direction wherein the heat conduction mediumflows, from the conduction medium source, directly into the first groupchannels at the at least one inlet of the first group of channel, andthe second group of channels is provided with at least one inlet and atleast one outlet in a second direction such that heat conduction mediumflows through the second group of channels in the second direction,wherein the first direction is opposite of the second direction andwherein the heat conduction medium flows, from the conduction mediumsource, directly into the second group of channels at the at least oneinlet of the second group of channels at the same time or substantiallythe same time as the heat conduction medium flows, and the heatconduction medium flows from the conduction medium source directly intothe first group of channels at the at least one inlet of the first groupof channels, wherein the second group of channels and first group ofchannels are distinct and separate from each other such that the secondgroup of channels and first group of channels are not connected througha turnaround section within a housing containing the plurality ofbattery cells; a sensor to detect a temperature of the battery pack; acontroller configured to determine and send a control signal accordingto a temperature value detected by the sensor; a pump configured tocontrol the flow rate of the heat conduction medium according to thecontrol signal sent by the controller; and a passage, wherein the heatconduction medium source, the pump, and the heat conduction mediumpassage are in fluid communication via the passage.
 12. The vehicle ofclaim 11, further comprising a heat insulation layer comprising athermal insulating material made from at least one of glass fiber,asbestos, rock wool, and aerogel felt.
 13. The vehicle of claim 11,wherein the first group of channels and the second group of channels arespaced apart, and air in the space between the first group of channelsand the second group of channels forms the heat insulation layer. 14.The vehicle of claim 11, wherein a flow direction of the heat conductionmedium in the first group of channels is opposite to a flow direction ofthe heat conduction medium in the second group of channels.